


the people we choose to surround ourselves with

by FiletMignon



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/F, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:14:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28832490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiletMignon/pseuds/FiletMignon
Summary: tumblr drabble prompts:treehouse - jaylospoisoned apples - malviehold my hand - jayloswelcome back - jaylosi have to go make a scene - malviecrying in a bathroom - jaylosdid i ever matter - malvie
Relationships: Evie/Mal (Disney), Jay/Carlos de Vil
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	1. treehouse - jaylos

"How long until they check here?"

"A while. My mother tends to forget this is even here, and I doubt your father knows about it."

"What do you have here to pass the time?"

Carlos raised his head so he could stare at the taller boy and then looked pointedly back at his lap, where he was tinkering with some new gadgets that had washed up from Auradon recently.

"And what am I supposed to do meanwhile?"

"There's some playing cards on the shelf behind you, but there's not a complete set between them."

"Can work with that. Carlos, stop that and come play Kill The King with me."

The white haired boy looked like he was about to protest, but one look at the cautiously optimistic Jay and he sighed in defeat. 

"Sure, but I'm dealing."


	2. poisoned apples - malvie

"When you're feeling better I'm going to make you tell me why you ate one of my mother's apples."

"...ᴵᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᵃⁿ ᵃᶜᶜᶦᵈᵉⁿᵗ…"

Mal's faint mumbling could've been considered cute if it wasn't due to how weak she was currently feeling.

"We were in my mother's castle. In my mother's dinner hall. Right next to her cauldron and potions room. What did you think was gonna happen?"

"...ᴵ ʷᵃˢ ᵃ ˡᶦᵗᵗˡᵉ ᵈᶦˢᵗʳᵃᶜᵗᵉᵈ"

Evie stared at Mal, who was carefully avoiding her eyes even though she was laying her head on the blue haired girl's lap, and had to hold back a rather unladylike snort, knowing she was the reason the shorter girl had gotten distracted.

"I'll just have to make sure to never model any new outfits when there's anything you could poison yourself with in the proximities."

"ʸᵒᵘ ʷᵒⁿ'ᵗ ˡᵉᵗ ᵐᵉ ᶠᵒʳᵍᵉᵗ ᵗʰᶦˢ, ʷᶦˡˡ ʸᵒᵘˀ"

It was more heart-warming than expected, knowing Mal trusted her enough to whine and 'show weakness', as her mother would say, around her. Softly, she threaded her hands through the small fairy's hair, and when she was sure she was asleep, Evie softly kissed her forehead.

"Never, M."


	3. hold my hand - jaylos

"Hold my hand or I'll die." Not pausing to let his boyfriend say anything, he swings his hand that rests between them with purpose and shoots him the biggest puppy eyes he could. "I'm serious, Carlos, who knows what will happen if you don't hold my hand right now? We could get separated and I fall down one of those weird escalator things they like here and fall into a coma, or I could get lost in one of these stores and get sent to Neverland-"

Carlos is laughing now, but his eyes hold that unmistakable warmth Jay knows he's one of the lucky ones that get to see it, and he grabs on to his hand without a moment of hesitation. There's a moment of remembering how not so long ago neither boy would've been comfortable being like this in public, but then Carlos squeezes his hands as he points at the next store he wants to stop by and once again he's all Jay can think about. 

Laughing, he squeezes back and smiles as he listens to his boyfriend talk about their stops for the day, adding his own plans and ideas as they walk through the crowded mall, holding hands and swinging them together. So maybe he  _ wouldn't _ have died if Carlos didn't hold his hand, but it seems he'll never have to find out.


	4. welcome back - jaylos

So. Carlos hadn't been expecting anything in particular when he entered his apartment, but it definitely wasn't the sight in front of him: his boyfriend stumbling around the living room, with Beelzebub climbing up his back, the kitten Evie had left with them while she was on vacation meowing as he dangled from the spot his little claws were digging in through the fabric of his pants, while Dude slept cozily in the couch. Even if he wanted to, he doubted he could hold back the snort that escaped him, and the look on Jay's face as he turned to him was nothing short of priceless.

"Welcome back! Now fucking help me"

Much to the taller boy's frustration, he put down the bags he was carrying, took his jacket and shoes off before finally approaching. Immediately, Beelzebub jumped off Jay and strutted towards Carlos, nuzzling against his legs even as the kitten stumbled towards him and started climbing his jeans. Smiling, he picked him up and held him against his chest as he sat on the floor and petted Beelzebub, scratching behind his chin like he knew he enjoyed. He heard Jay move around the house, and he knew without looking that he had put the takeaway bags in the kitchen and was coming back.

"They could at least try to hide their favoritism, y'know?"

Jay sat down behind him and rested his head on top of his, so he could feel the vibration from the snort-chuckle combination he loved so much and smiled at it.

"Not that I don't get it, you're also  _ my _ favorite"

Leaning back against his boyfriend, with his oldest friend purring against him, and a precious kitten his friend had trusted him with in his arms, he couldn't help but smile even wider. Turning his head towards the taller boy, he kissed him briefly and rested back against him.

"You're my favorite too, Jay"


	5. i have to go make a scene - malvie

“Sup Maljamin.”

She frowned, trying to hide the tiny uptick of her mouth that anyone without perspective could mistakenly assume it was a smile.

“That’s  _ your  _ full name, Ben, not mine. Where are you two? We were supposed to leave twenty minutes ago.”

“Worth a try. Anyways, that’s why I called. Can’t make it to the diner in time. And don’t get mad but…”

Mal pushed herself upright and away from the wall and resisted the impulse to march down to wherever he was and confront him.

“Saying ‘don’t get mad is the fastest way to make someone mad’, so spit it out.”

Ben cleared his throat, but when he continued, his voice was steady and the kind yet firm tone that was so characteristically his, even when he said something he wished he didn’t have to.

“Neither can Evie. My father grounded me and gave her detention for arguing with him about our latest history project. I saw Mr. Deley take her phone after class so I thought I’d let you know.”

Deep breaths. Deeeeep breaths. Mal knew Principal Florian, most commonly known as The Beast by his students due to his ruthless policy and more than unkind demeanor, had been against the project since they declared what it was about: how the Auradon founders (including, of course, Adam Florian I) had actually damaged the region beyond repair, blamed it on everyone else, and recorded themselves as the saviors when they did the bare minimum to undo part of the damage they did. Yeah, safe to say the direct descendant of the man responsible for it all would prefer the new generations were kept in the dark about it. The fact that his son was one of the two teens behind the idea only made it worse, but he couldn’t publicly chastise him for it, instead using any excuse to ground him and give Evie detention in hopes it’d deter them. 

“Ohhhhkay. Okay. Thanks for the heads up. Let the others know we’ll be a little late. And, hey, Ben?”

“Yeah?”

He was a good friend. She’d for sure regret this in the months to come if he abused his knowledge, but if he was gonna have to be in the house with his father and his yelling for company... he could use something to cheer him up.

“If I’m Maljamin… you’re Benevolence.”

“What does that- OH. Malevolence, huh? Yeah, Maljamin definitely sounds better. Uh, I'll try to sneak out in a bit to get there.”

“Thanks, nerd. See you later. Now, if you excuse me. I have to go make a scene.”

Now for the hard part: not muder Mr. Deley the second she saw him. He’d had it out for Evie ever since he tried to humiliate her by asking questions he assumed she wouldn’t know the answer to, but she answered correctly and he took it personally. Science was one of Evie’s favorite subjects, and seeing it be ruined by having a sucky teacher was bad enough. Now the dickass was giving her undue detention just because he could? Yeah, no.

In any other circumstance Mal would’ve enjoyed how students and even faculty members scrambled out of the way when she was angrily stomping down the hallway on her way to the detention classroom, but right now she was too focused on trying to calm down enough to not murder a teacher at first sight. It was  _ not  _ going well. They were supposed to be arriving at the diner, where their friends were ready waiting for them to throw Evie an early surprise birthday party, since her mother took her away the actual day of. And now, because Principal Beast and Mr. Deley were self-absorbed men with a fragile ego, they were going to miss it at worst or arrive very late at first. She was so pissed she felt like her eyes should be glowing or something. A left turn later, she was barging into the detention room, ignoring the teacher's yelp at the door crashing against the wall and going straight for Evie, who was-

Staring down the man in front of his desk, her hand extended in front of her as she talked to him. Hearing her girlfriend's dramatic entrance, she turned and smiled at her for a second before turning back to their science teacher.

"Now, Mr. Deley, I think you were about to apologize for keeping me without reason and hand me back my phone and earphones?" 

Looking like he had swallowed a lemon the size of a watermelon, the man mumbled the most insincere apology Mal had ever heard (and that was saying something, considering who she was and that Uma was one of her oldest friends) and gave her back her things.

"Thank you. Now, I'll see you Monday, Mr. Deley."

Grabbing her girlfriend's arm in hers as she passed, she walked out and chuckled at Mal's confused gaze.

"Sooo. How did you do that? The whole 'getting the second jerkiest man in the school to apologize to you'?"

"Oh that, he admitted to holding me back after school for no reason other than he doesn't like me. He took my phone, but I had Jane's recorder -oh, she records her classes to take better notes later- so I told him either he starts being a little  _ fairer _ or the file gets sent to the school board."

"Damn, fast thinking, recording the conversation…," one look at Evie's close lipped smile and she couldn't help but grin back. "...except that you didn't even record him didn't you?"

"Nope, he just had to think I did."

They stopped outside the park near the school, and Evie turned to face Mal, smiling but looking more serious than before.

"That was kinda sweet, breaking down a door for me, but you know I don't need a knight in shining armor," the blue haired girl pulled her closer by her shirt, and smiled at her. "Or in a shining leather jacket. I can handle myself."

"Believe me, I know- wait, the door broke?"

"No, but the knob made a hole in the wall."

"Oh. Whoops. Well, what I was saying is… I know you can take care of yourself, better than anyone I know. You just don't have to do it alone."

Trying and failing not to blush, Mal stopped herself from shrugging, not wanting Evie to think she didn't mean it.

"So, do you feel like getting some pie on the way home? I asked "

Evie smiled, touched, and reached to hold Mal's hand on her own as they started to walk again.

"Sure, it's Blueberry Thursday, how could I miss it?"


	6. crying in a bathroom - jaylos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I can’t leave you alone after I just found you crying on the bathroom floor!”

Carlos had been looking for Jay for the last twenty minutes and was starting to get worried. No one had seen him for half an hour, and considering he usually was at the center of the party, it was worrying. The heavy feeling of mixed guilt and regret swirling in his gut wasn't helping, and it only increased with every room he checked and every person he asked to no avail.

Finally, his phone pinged with a text from Jane and he practically raced upstairs to the master bathroom, where said girl smiled weakly at him before leaving. Pausing for a moment outside the door, he took a deep breath and opened the door without knocking.

"I was starting to think you might've left already."

Hearing his voice, Jay lifted up his head to stare at Carlos, who winced when he saw the red eyes and the tears running down his face.

"You shouldn't be here.  _ Get out _ ."

"What- come on, Jay, I can’t leave you alone after I just found you crying on the bathroom floor!”

"What's the problem? You always leave anyways, it shouldn't make a difference that this time I'm crying before and not after."

"That's not…", Carlos trailed off, knowing it  _ was _ fair. 'I'm sorry' wouldn't cut it either, and he didn't even know if he'd accept his apology. "We can talk about this later, when you're not drunk."

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it,  _ C _ . You'd be surprised at how sobering an hour alone and a bit of water can be. And cold bathroom floors are a surprisingly good place to think."

The shortest boy grimaced at the use of that particular nickname, but Jay was smiling faintly now, so he took the chance to sit down in front of him, but the dark haired boy wasn't looking at him anymore, staring at the ceiling instead.

"So. What did you think about?"

" _You_. Us. How the hell we always end up in the same place and that I… I miss you. And don't- don't say you haven't gone anywhere because you  _ have _ . You keep- you keep pulling away from me and I don't- I don't think I can do whatever we're doing anymore. I want- I  _ need _ more."

Well, **fuck** , Carlos had royally screwed up. He pressed the heel of his hands against his eyebrows and took a deep breath. He'd always been a fast thinker, but he still reached a decision so fast it almost scared him. Using his arms to scoot forward on the surprisingly clean floor, he stopped a feet or so away from the taller boy and reached out to touch his knee.

"Okay." He felt more than saw the other boy tense under his hand. "You're right, you're  _ right _ . I've been pulling away, avoiding you, and I'm tired of it. I don't want that anymore either."

Jay's eyes were wary and cautious, but in spite of months of the white haired boy running out on him and making out one second and pretending they were barely even friends the next, he still looked hopeful.

"What do you want?"

"You. _Us_." He squeezed Jay's knee before using it for balance as he pushed himself upright, then offered his hand to help the other boy. "But you're still a little tipsy, so I think it's better if we talk about this tomorrow."

After a couple moments, a larger hand took his own, and Carlos breathed in relief. 

"As fancy as this bathroom is, not the best place for serious talks, huh?"

"Yeah… especially not with so many people right outside. Wouldn't want them to overhear anything and get 'the wrong idea', right?"

The bitter tone was unmistakable, and the shorter boy felt the hold on his hand loosen as he opened the door, so he carefully tightened his own. In reward, he got to see Jay's face lighten up as he glanced between their joined hands and Carlos' face.

"Maybe I don't care what they think anymore."

His hands were shaking a little, but Jay squeezed the one in his three times, and he relaxed without even realizing. It'd be okay.  _ They _ would be okay.

"Come on, big guy, let's get you to bed.  _ Don't _ !" He interrupted before whatever Jay was thinking left his lips, but smiled anyways. "Let's just go to sleep, and we'll talk over breakfast tomorrow, deal?"

"Only if we can make chocolate waffles."

"Of course."

They were now walking down Chad's street, crossing the short distance to the school dorms, their still joined hands swinging between them lazily. They didn't know if anyone saw when Jay brought Carlos' knuckles to his mouth and kissed them.

"Then, absolutely. Deal."

  
  



	7. did i ever matter - malvie

Mal had thought she was ready to see her again. From the moment she received the invitation, she’d known she would attend and, therefore, would inevitably see Evie for the first time in almost two years. She’d mentally prepared herself for the previous weeks until she was sure she’d be okay and able to act normally and pleasantly, knowing Audrey would kill her if she didn’t.

All that, of course, went out the window the second she actually got a good look at Evie. She’d caught glimpses of blue hair, now a darker shade than before, and heard some attendees mention her in passing, but being face to face for the first time in months made her realize there was nothing she could’ve done to prepare herself. 

“Hi.” Realizing the slightly breathy greeting had been her own, she hurried to cover it up. “How have you been?”

The smile directed her way was beautiful, but also incredibly fake. Her eyes stayed cold, and while to someone else it might look polite and friendly, Mal had seen her real smiles enough times to know what this one meant, and internally winced in advance.

“Considering I’m able to stare at the girl who publicly dumped me and broke my heart without slapping her, not great. Otherwise, better than ever. My fashion line is very successful, especially overseas; my girlfriend is very supportive of me and travels with me all the time. How about you, what have you been doing?”

Yup, that was more or less what she expected, but it still stung. The message ‘I’m doing just fine without you’ was more than clear. Of course she had expected Evie to do well, but those were plans they’d once made together: Mal with her art gallery, Evie with her fashion line, living abroad in a small apartment they’d come home to after work. She still thought about it often, now as a no longer realistic daydream. And it was her fault. It was her fault Evie was now doing all that first by herself and now with someone else. So she swallowed down the ache spreading through her chest and climbing up her throat, and hoped the tears threatening to spill weren’t as obvious as they felt.

“I’m uh, an associate at the firm?” Mal hated how it almost sounded like a question, so she forced herself to even out her tone, just like she had been taught. “I haven’t lost a case since I was a junior assistant, and I might get another promotion soon.”

She kept her voice steady, and to anyone else it would’ve sounded like she was proud or even bragging. But just as she knew Evie, Evie knew her just as well, so she was able to hear the slight hurt and know what it meant. But it wasn’t her place to say or do anything about it, not anymore; with a nod, she ignored it and pretended she hadn’t noticed anything. There was an awkward silence in which her eyebrows furrowed the cute way they did when she was thinking, and then-

“Did I ever really matter to you?”

The blue-haired woman seemed surprised at what she had said, but she tensed her jaw and looked her ex-girlfriend right in the eye, showing she wasn’t going to back down.

There were many things Mal wanted to say. ‘Of course’ and ‘You meant everything’ were the most important ones, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Not when she was the one to break it off, to put duty and blood ties over love and choice; so she stayed silent and looked away first. Evie took that as its own answer, so she gave her another painfully fake smile and moved on to greet someone else, but not without one last more-than-fair comment.

“I hope it was all worth it. Tell your mother to go to hell for me, will you?”

And all Mal could do was watch her walk away, taking her heart with her, and knowing she was the one to blame for the pain she was in.


End file.
